


Catching Eyes

by SunKissedGarden



Category: NCT
Genre: College AU, F/M, Mark - Freeform, NCT Dream - Freeform, chenle - Freeform, haechan - Freeform, jisung - Freeform, kpop, lee donghyuck - Freeform, mark lee - Freeform, nct - Freeform, nct zen, park jisung - Freeform, zhong chenle - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-06-30 08:47:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19849663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunKissedGarden/pseuds/SunKissedGarden
Summary: It's very easy to catch stares from people when you're different from them. This is something Jia learns the hard way after moving to Korea to study in here dream university. Having dark skin and curly hair definitely catches the eyes of the massive Korean population of the school, but also catches the eye of a foreign kid. Ecstatic to have someone like himself at the school he tries to befriend Jia but its just not that easy for someone so insecure.





	1. Cute Boys

“How was your first day of college?” I hear my mother’s voice on the other end of my cellphone. She’s crying, again. For good reason though. I’ve gone from seeing her every day to probably only seeing her twice a year. “It was okey. I got lost.” Not completely a lie, part of that is true.  
“Meet any cute boys.” And there it was. “No.” A complete lie.  
I hear my mother sniffle in the background of my thoughts, “I could always come home you know?” I offer, “No no.” I can hear her  
trying her best to pull herself together. “You’re living your dream. That’s all I want for you.” She sniffle again and this time I do too.  
I suddenly felt home sick, like I don’t belong here. I really don’t to be honest. I’m the only splash of color in most of my classes. My Korean is pretty lacking, and there are still so many cultural differences I don’t understand quite yet. Sometimes I forget the reason I came here in the first place.  
“I should go now. First day and I already have homework.” I try to chuckle but it’s halfhearted, another lie. “Okey sweetie.” She sounds a bit better, “Get it done.” This time I chuckle for real. Just like my mother to nag me about homework. Somehow I feel like she'd come all the way across the world to check on me and make sure I'm doing my work. “Good morning mom.” I smile on my end, “Goodnight Ja.” I hope she’s smiling on hers. With that we hang up. I sigh and stare up at the ceiling.  
What a day it’s been. I get up and look for the clothes that I will wear to bed. It seems late enough that most people are already done with their showers so I guess I should go now before they lock the showers or something. I don't know if they will, but I’m not too keen on Korean schools just yet. I keep my head down as I walk through the hallways, avoiding any eye contact. I don’t like that people stare at me so shamelessly. They don’t do that in America. It's rude.  
When I get into the shower no one is there. A sigh of relief escapes me. I don’t know why I’m nervous, but I really don’t want to be asked questions about what happened today. I undress quickly, going into one of the little stalls and turn on the water. It was entirely to cold, and I couldn’t help the small yelp that escaped when it hit my skin.  
A chuckle came out of nowhere, “Cute.” I hear a voice that isn’t my own and freeze. “Who are you?” She asks without hesitation. She sounds excited? “My name is Jia.” I mutter quietly. “Ah~ are you the dark skin foreign girl?!” She asks somehow even more excited than before.  
Dark skin? It’s not that dark. Not that I care much but I’m fairly lighter skinned when it comes to darker people. I guess I should have expected as much from Korea. Most of the people here have really light skin, and apparently don’t like being to tanned either.  
“Yes.” I sigh, knowing the questions that were coming. What happened in class today? Is it true you hit on him? Why were you so angry afterwards?  
“Cool.” She said, but she sounds closer. I turn around and there she is, naked and peering over my stall. I let out a squeak of surprise and try to cover myself. She holds out a hand, “I’m Yeweon, but my American name is Serena.” She says confidently in strongly accented English. I hesitantly hold out my hand and shake it. “N-Nice to meet you.” I stutter.  
The bathroom is filled with a thick awkward silence minus the sound of the water from the shower head. “Let’s be friends.” She offers after a while smiling. I nod, cracking a little smile myself. “Okey but, I-if you could just.” I motion for her to move away from my stall, hoping I don’t offend her. She makes a face like the stars just aligned right before her very eyes. “Oh right! Foreigners don’t shower together!” She chuckles and hops down and I quickly finish washing. I’m sure my face is burning, not that you can really see it with my complexion.  
When I come out she’s in her pajamas already and her hair is in a ponytail. I finally take the time to look at her. He face is round and looks bigger because of her big glasses. Her hair goes down a little past her shoulder and is a light brown color. She’s not much taller than me which is surprising because everyone is pretty much taller than me. Her nails are pained a light gray color and pretty long. I wonder if they’re really her nails. She’s pretty. Much prettier than me.  
“What room are you in? Do you have a roommate?” She asks and I shake my head. Apparently no one wanted to room with me. “Great! I’ll be sleeping over sometimes so you better open the door.” She smiles widely. “But not tonight. You look like you need to settle in some more.”  
Serena is pretty friendly. I nod and mutter an “Okey.” So she knows I’m listening. “You don’t talk much.” She giggles, “I hope you don’t mind that I talk I lot.” I smile wider. “Nope.” That might actually be the best thing about her. “I can even help you with your Korean.” Great, heaven knows I need it. “Well, Goodnight!” She’s gone before I can even say it back. I sigh, whether in relief or disappointment I’m not sure, and go back to my dorm.  
When I lay down I finally allow the events of today replay in my head. Mark. He might have ruined my first day.  
I was lost. I couldn’t find my way around the compass and my Korean wasn’t good enough to read the signs effectively. When I asked for directions I only got points, no one would verbally tell me where to go. It was frustrating. I finally made it to my class late, luckily the professor was even later. I sat down in the front row and opened my brand new laptop, ready to take notes. I got it as a graduation present for myself.  
I was minding my own business when two boys walked to the front of the room. The lecture hall we were in was stadium style so everyone could easily see what was going on. The boys stood a little away from me just out of earshot and talked quietly, more like argued. I didn’t wanna be nosy so I focused my attention on my phone.  
“You’re a foreigner.” I hear in perfect English. It wasn’t a question. “Yes.” I look up and it’s one of the two boys, the other is standing behind him. “Cool! where are you from?” He asked, “America.” He nods, “I’m from Canada.”  
I don’t know what I expected from a boy who speaks perfect English but it definitely wasn’t that. I guess because he didn’t look foreign to me. He had pretty pale skin and lips on the smaller sided but pink as roses. His ears I could tell poke out a little bit but they looked even bigger because of his hair. It was black like everyone else’s but unlike most people, the sides were cut very low leaving most of his hair on top of his head. The most notable thing about him, though, was his eyes. They were way bigger than a normal Korean person, round with a shine to them. He was adorable.  
“My name’s Mark.” He extended a hand to me that I shook. “Jia.” I say with as much confidence as I can muster. He smiled and leaned forward staring at me, or more accurately, my hair. It was curly. I didn’t have time to straighten my hair with how busy I’ve been so as if my skin wasn’t a big enough attraction my hair completed the foreigner look to a T.  
“Is your hair naturally like that?” I nod and try my best not to let him see I’m embarrassed. “Can I touch it?” He asks almost shamelessly. I swear this must be a Korean thing. I nod awkwardly, and he reaches out his hand. My hair isn’t hard or full of gel and oils, in fact people are usually surprised at how soft my hair is.  
“Mr. Lee.” Both of our attentions are quickly turned to an older gentleman, probably the professor, and his less than amused facial expression. I’ve also noticed that the boy Mark was with is nowhere to be seen. What a friend. Mark bowed quickly and muttered a quiet “Sorry.” Switching back to Korean and scurrying to his seat.  
“There’s plenty of time to flirt during the semester but not during my class.” The professor stated before giving me a quick glance and turning to the computer to start his lesson. Did he only assume that because we were both foreigners? Or was it something else?  
I tried to focus but I couldn’t. Not with all the whispering going on behind me. Eventually, I was bored enough with the lesson and curious enough to listen in on what I could hear and understand. “He was flirting with her?” “Who is she anyways?” “He was just playing with her wasn’t he?” Everyone was talking about Mark and I, and nothing even happened. That’s when I realized that this may not be as great as I thought.  
When class ended I was quick to try and leave the classroom. I had to ignore many calls, all of which weren’t my name except for one, Mark. I guess he wanted to talk some more. I couldn’t talk to him though. Not when so many people were gossiping about “us” already. I pretended I didn’t hear and kept walking to my next class.  
By the time may classes were over it seemed like what had happened spread like wildfire. Everyone knew, or at least heard gossip about it and wanted to know more. When I went to the cafeteria, some people stared and whispered to their friends. Others tried to talk to me and ask me what happened. I didn’t answer. I barely ate a thing before scurrying back to the comfort and solitude of my own room.  
I groan and cover my head with my blanket. I can’t believe something as meaningless as a boy introducing himself to me could ruin this whole experience for me. Now I’m the spectacle of the whole campus. That dark skinned foreign girl that Mark Lee was flirting with.  
What’s so important about Mark Lee anyways?  
I sigh turn out my light. I just can’t talk to him anymore. Maybe in a while, this will all blow over. For now, I should sleep. I’m exhausted. I close my eyes and surprisingly it doesn’t take me long to drift off. Tomorrow is a new day.


	2. Tea and Gossip

By the Seaside. I’ve come to hate that ringtone on my phone, but that’s only because I use it as my alarm for everything. On the loudest volume I might add. I silently roll over and turn off the alarm, then sit up so I don’t go back to sleep. I stay there for a while and debate if I really have to get up right now. I must have been exhausted yesterday, it usually takes me days to be able to sleep a whole night in a new place.  
Once I’m much more awake, I get out of bed and trudge to my bathroom that only has a toilet and sink. It’s tiny, but so am I. I start with mouth washing and go back out to my room to choose an outfit for the day. Once it’s all laid out I go back to bathroom. I start to brush my teeth and I finally look at myself in the mirror.  
My hair is curly and my skin is a light brown color. My eyes are pretty wide but not that interesting, poop brown like most people. I wish they were like my mother and grandmother’s, they have blue rings around their irises. My eyebrows are always well shaped, it’s something I take pride in maintaining, even if threading does hurt like a bitch. My nose is a bit wider than most, a gift from my dad. I usually hear that I look more like him, down to the body hair that I despise. My lips are full and light colored. I’m thankful for that. And finally my trademark according to others in my cheeks. They’re pretty chubby, I think they got bigger in high school because I would stress eat. My mom disagrees, she thinks I’ve always been that way. My overall appearance makes me look younger than most people my age. All throughout high school people would ask how old I was. The magic number I’ve always gotten was twelve, but I guess it’s a good thing to look so young, so I don’t complain too much.  
When I’m finished brushing my teeth I quickly wash my face with lukewarm water, and about twenty different face products. I look in the mirror once again. My hair is still there, still big, still curly. So I straighten it. I prefer it that way. Once my hair is bone straight I go back out to the bedroom and start to get dressed. I take off my pajamas but I catch myself in the other mirror a full sized one that captures the essence of my body.  
I’m definitely not Korean. And in my own opinion my body isn’t very desirable. I’m petite, 4’11 and three quarters. Not quite five. My chest is probably another reason people assume I’m so young, I’m only a B. My tummy, not big, not small for my size either I think. My butt is the most ethnic thing about me. Not crazy big but bigger than most my size and race. My thighs are strong and muscular, I think it’s from skateboarding and soccer but to me they just look fat. My mom always tells me about how I have skinny legs and a big butt. I don’t really see it. I have darks spots in many places because my acne used to be so bad, again stress. And God the hair. I’m hairless now thanks to Maybe different things, and a laser. One of the greatest blessing in my life. Shaking my head a go back to putting my clothes on. Leggings and a sweater. I think it’s a cute outfit.  
I finally take the time to check my phone. I don’t really check it much these days since only one person ever texts me. My best friend from Texas, but this time it isn’t her. It’s someone else. I unlock my phone and take a look at the name on top of the screen, “Lil JiBear<3” It’s Jisung.  
_Meet me in the cafeteria. I missed you~_  
I reply with a quick _okey_ and _I missed you_ too before slipping on my shoes, grabbing my purse, and going out to meet him. I keep my head down as I walk through the campus. People still stare at me. Nothing new.  
When I walk into the cafeteria, most eyes turn to me before turning back to where there were previously. Creepy. I look around for Jisung and catch him sitting in a corner with another boy that looks our age. I put on a smile and walk over to the table.  
“Jia!” He calls and gets up. Before I can even react his arms wrapped around me in a tight hug. “I missed you so much.” He says softly and drags me to the table to sit with him. Jisung is much taller than me 5’10” with longer face. His skin, perfect. Enough said. His cheeks were full and stretchy even though he’s skinny, just the way I like them. I love squeezing and stretching them. He’s like a cute little-big squirrel. His eyes are small and his hair is long and floppy just like a normal Korean boy. His lips are a little different though, full and pretty.  
I smile somewhat awkwardly at the boy I don’t know and hope that Jisung will introduce us. “I’m Chenle!” He smiles so widely his eyes squint. He’s adorable too. A body build like Jisung without the face to match. His was thinner. His lips were too. His eyes have this sparkle in them that could brighten a whole room.  
I wasn’t expecting him to be so outgoing, but he was and I’m grateful because I’m the opposite. “He’s a good friend of mine, I hope you don’t mind that I brought him.” Jisung asks hesitantly. “Of course not.” I smiled at both of them. The more the merrier right?  
I introduced myself, then Jisung and I got to catching up. More dance competitions, tv shows, traveling. Everything I’d expect from him. I feel like his proud second mother at times. I learn that Chenle is also somewhat of a famous child from China, on shows and competitions for singing. I should have guessed from his name that he wasn’t Korean, but it escaped me I guess. Through hearing their stories I try my best not to feel like a disappointment in my own life.  
We were having a great time until the question came. “So, this whole Mark Lee thing.” I sigh, but he continues, “I know you probably don’t wanna talk about it and you know you don’t have to. I just wanted to know what really happened since I know you didn’t actually hit him.” He was hesitant at the end, “Right?”  
That last word is what made it all come rushing out. “No I didn’t hit him! He was supposedly hitting on me, which I didn’t even know about! I was in class and he introduced himself while this other kid stood behind him and said nothing. Teacher walks in, calls it flirting and next thing you know everyone in the school and their mother wants to know what happened and what Mark said!” I sigh and compose myself. “Sorry.” I sigh. “It’s been a hard couple of days.” I avoid the eyes that are once again focused on me.  
“If it makes you feel any better I didn’t believe any of the things people were saying.” It was Chenle who spoke this time. “Rumors spread around this campus like wildfire all the time. But none of it is ever true.” Jisung is nodding along too so maybe it was true.  
A little while later I see him. Mark Lee. I didn’t notice him come in, my eyes somehow found him sitting at a table with quite a few boys. I only recognize one as the boy that was with him yesterday. He doesn’t notice me. His hair is messy. I guess he didn’t do it this morning. And he’s wearing glasses this time, the big round kind that barely has a frame. His laugh is loud and chaotic. I can hear it from wear I’m sitting.  
“What’s the deal anyways?” I ask skeptically. “Why is everyone so interested in Mark? He doesn’t seem so special.” I question. He looks like a normal guy after all.  
“You mean besides being the only foreigner to get into this school without money?” Jisung asks with a sarcasm I can do without. “You’re the only other person to do that in this university’s history.” He says more seriously this time. I glance at Chenle who simply makes a money signal with his hand. “The girls gossip about him all the time so I know that he plays for our soccer team as one of the co-captains and ever since he’s joined we’ve been undefeated. He wears glasses, bites his pencil only durning tests, he is always busy on Wednesday’s and Saturday mornings.” He stressed the word always in particular. “And some people swear that they’ve caught him wearing bunny slippers.” He finishes and sits back taking a sip his juice.  
I look at him incredulously. I can’t believe he knows all this. I want to ask him more questions but of course my alarm goes off once again at the the wrong moment. “I have to go to class now." I mumble. I get up and prepare myself to leave. I hug Jisung tightly and wish him a good day, then do same for a Chenle. “We’ll meet up afterward for boba right?” Jisung confirms for like the fourth time. I chuckle anyways, “Only if you provide the takoyaki.” “Deal.” We shake hands and I’m on my way to class.  


* * *

  
The day was long and boring. It’s very hard to keep up when your Korean isn’t all that great. But, that is behind me now since I’m going out for boba with Jisung and Chenle. I’ve been needing some social time with friends. I’m always so lonely.  
I realize I’m the first one there when I enter the little cafe, and decide to order the drinks for all three of us. I get Chenle and Jisung’s favorite flavors that I remember talking about this morning and a Taro for myself. The person at the register chuckled so I guess I said something wrong. When my order is done I find a nice booth in the corner and wait for boys to show up.  
Chenle comes in first, Jisung on his tail. They scan the room for me and then walk over when they see where I am. “Fashionably late as usual.” I joke. “I had to wait for Chenle.” He defended and I just roll my eyes playfully. “I got your favorites.” I slide it to them as they sit down. We drink in a comfortable silence for just a minute or two.  
“I hope we don’t run into anyone from our school here.” I sigh. Chenle looks around the shop but Jisung speaks up, “I know Donghyuk comes here a lot.” He says absently. “Who?” Do I know that person? “The boy that’s always around Mark.” It suddenly comes to me. That boy is always with Mark, touching, hugging him, or annoying the crap out of him. When I see him on the campus or in the cafeteria, Donghuck is always there. They must be very close.  
“People used to think they were lovers, but apparently Donhyuk is just really clingy and affectionate. They’re best friends.” I nod along absorbing his words. “They dorm together, play together, have class together. They’re practically inseparable.” I chuckle at hearing that. I didn’t know that Jisung knew so much about people he barely interacts with, but I guess that can be helpful.  
We spend the rest of our time talking. Jisung tells me the do’s and don’ts of the school and about certain people. It was very insightful. When we finish drinking and eating the takoyaki Jisung ordered, I decided it was time for me to go home and finish my homework. We walk back to the dorms together up until the spilt between the boys and girls dorm. I hug them both goodnight and walk back to my room, head down like always.


	3. Convenient Store Coincidences

Class is the hardest part of my day for sure, but I think I have a pretty good system going right now. I sit in class and type everything in Korean, even the things I don’t know. When the lesson is over I translate as much as I can to English and make it a review sheet. I keep the things I don’t know separate and have a friend translate them. I study it in both English and Korean then until I’m able to recite it. It works well but it’s time consuming.It’s gonna be really hard to maintain after today. I start my new job today. Thank god it’s a Saturday.

Thank God for Angela. She’s a lady who owned a nail salon that I used to go to all the time in America. I became close with her and her husband there. When I told her I was going to Korea for schooling she called her friend and asked if he could take me in as an employee. I’m really thankful that she did that for me. Heaven knows I wouldn’t be able to find a job on my own. She’s always been so nice to me though, feeding me and helping me with my Korean.

The best part about this store is that it’s within walking distance of the campus. I’m not used to the bus and subways system yet. I didn’t even use the bus or subway back in America.

My heart beats fast with anxiety as I approach the store. I don’t know if it social anxiety or just the original kind but I do know that interacting with new people tends to worry me. I slowly open the door and enter. It’s a normal convenient store just like all the others but I’ll be spending a lot of time here so I better learn to love it. I call out for the owner and out comes a man. He has small eyes, tanned skin and a contagious smile. He seems nice enough.

“Hello my name is Jia.” I introduce myself and bow respectfully. “Ah you’re the new worker Angela told me about. My name is John. Come come follow me.” He smiles warmly and leads me behind the counter. “Have you ever worked a register before?” He asked as he goes through a drawer. “Y-yes.” I stutter. “I worked in a grocery store.” I mutter a lot less confident than before.

“You’ll have to speak up my dear. No one will be able to hear your with a tiny voice like that.” I nod in acknowledgment. My mom used to always tell me im quieter when I speak Korean. I guess it’s true after all.

He turns to me with a shirt in hand. I take it from him, both hands, and bow as a thank you. I slip it over the long sleeve shirt that I’m wearing and turn back to him. He’s already on his out from behind the counter. He didn’t say anything so I assume I’m supposed to follow him.

There’s way more to this then I though. There restocking, inventory, throwbacks, cleaning, maintenance, greetings and happy smiles, employee etiquette, and that damn cash box. I sigh in relief when John finally goes out to take care of business. This is my first test of running the store alone. If I do a good job, maybe John can trust me with responsibilities.

I look around the store. It’s empty now. I try to read the signs but they’re kind of blurry. I guess I need to start wearing my glasses again while I’m here. I hate wearing my glasses. I sit out of complete boredom on the ground behind the counter and just daydream. I don’t know how long it is until I hear the door open and the bell attached to it ring. “Welcome.” I call happily just like I was told to do.

When I stand up, however, I don’t see anyone. I guess they’re already in the aisle. I lean on the counter, and wait for them to finish getting what they like. After about two minutes, I hear one of the fridge doors open and close and then silent for about a minute. “Do you have the coffee bottle thingies?” _Thingies_ , that’s cute.

“The one closest to the front door.” I call back to him. I only know that because I got myself a coffee earlier. He walks over and I hear a small “Ah~” before the door opens and closes again.By now my head is down and I’m picking at a piece of tape that’s stuck on the counter. I look up when I see a tuff of black hair moving my way from the corner of my eye, but when I look up I see none other than the infamous Mark Lee.

Of course. Is this supposed to be a coincidence?

“Hey it’s you!” He calls way too excitedly as he sets his basket down on the counter. “Um.” He bites his lip and puts his hands on his hip staring at me. I guess he’s trying to remember my name. “Thinking pretty hard there.” I tease as I start to ring up the chips and snacks first.

“I’m sorry.” He relaxes and scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. People actually do that? “I’m not very good with names.” I shake my head. “Shame on you Mark Lee. I remember yours.” He chuckles in embarrassment and looks at me opening his mouth to speak but nothing comes out.

“Jia. My name is Jia.” He repeats it a couple times. “I’ll remember it this time I promise.” I nod and continue ringing up his items. Six Frappuccinos and one watermelon juice. What? I can’t help the chuckle that comes out after seeing that. “What?” He asks, almost alarmed. “Six fraps and _one_ juice.” I laugh some more as I say it. “Oh yeah.” He smiles again, “I don’t like coffee much.” I just nod and ring it up. “I lost a bet so I had to come buy snacks and drinks.” Not that that’s any of my business.

“Have a study group or something?” I just want him to know I’m paying attention. “No no, dance practice.” I nod. When I look up to tell him his total I notice him staring at me. “What?” It’s making me uncomfortable, his eyes are huge. “Your hair.” He stops there. “What about it?” I think I know why but I wanna hear him say it. “It’s straight.” I nod in response. “I straightened it.” I say slowly. “Why?” He pouting now.

Why did I straighten it? So I could blend it? I can't do that with my skin color. To look better? My face doesn’t change just because my hairstyle does. Am I just more comfortable with straight hair?

I shrug. “Just did.” I avoid giving him an answer because I don’t have one myself. “You should leave it curly. It looks nice and different.” I smirk at that, “maybe I don’t want to be different.” I raise my eyebrows. “I think being different is better.” I chuckle and shake my head. Not when everyone stares at you.

“Your total is 22,700 won.” He pulls out a card so I turn on the chip reader and wait for him to finish paying. But he doesn’t. When I turn back to him, his squinting the chip reader behind his glasses, pressing random buttons and muttering to himself. I smile and watch him for a bit. It’s cute I guess, but who doesn’t know how to use a chip reader besides old people? I lose it when he starts angrily tapping the screen.

“Running it as credit?” I ask through my laughter. He blushes in embarrassment and nods, muttering a small “Yes.” “The green button.” I giggle. In a couple of seconds there’s a beep and his receipt prints. “Here’s your receipt.” I’m still giggling. He smiles as he takes it from me. “Your laugh is cute.” He said softly. If my skin were lighter you could probably see me blushing. “Oh, t-thank you.” I mutter.

“S-so you got into our university based on grades right?” He asks kind of like he’s trying to continue to conversation. Like he doesn’t want it to end. I nod in response. “Woah that’s impressive!” His eyes get even bigger somehow. How is that possible? “Thank you.” I mutter awkwardly. I don’t take complements very well. “Maybe we could study together sometime?” He asks softly.

Right. Of course. I should have known. “Oh. Sure.” Mark’s eyes light up yet again. “Great!” He pulls out his phone and hands it to me. It’s an Android. “You can give me your number and we can set up a date!” I internally roll my eyes at his choice of words but give him my number nonetheless. “Thank you.” He checks his phone. “Oh shit I’m late.” He mutters. He takes his phone and bags and starts to back out of the door. “So um I’ll see you soon.” He confirms as he walks backwards. Bad idea. I laugh hard when he walks into the wall, but manage to nod. He laughs in embarrassment too. “G-good.” And with that, He’s gone. I shake my head and go back to work.

John comes in an hour later and we work in a comfortable silence until closing which he also shows me how to do as well. By the time I get to my dorm I’m exhausted but also kind of happy. Today was a good day. I do my usual night routine then check my phone. Just a text from my mom. That’s sad. Sighing, I change into my pajamas and lay down. I’m unconscious as soon as my head hits the pillow.


End file.
